Just over a week before WrestleMania 35, Asuka lost the SmackDown Women's Championship to Charlotte Flair. The championship change was made to make the WrestleMania 35 main event between Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Ronda Rousey a winner takes all, double championship match as Rousey was the reigning Raw Women's Champion.
Current Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch, who is engaged in a feud with Asuka, spoke on WWE Backstage and revealed she felt bad for Asuka heading into last year's WrestleMania.
"She's phenomenal," Lynch said of Asuka. "She's phenomenal with what she's done in the ring. Her character work, presently, is amazing. She had this phenomenal run in NXT, she was booked to win 90% of her matches. Then, last year at WrestleMania, she got the rug pulled from under her. I felt bad for her. I know what it's like to be in that position. I want to make her a monster and I'm doing everything that I can because she is that person that I haven't beat yet. I love that story because it's the person that I haven't beat and going in with that doubt. That doubt that stopped me from wrestling seven years ago. Can I do this? Do I have that ability to beat this person? Am I going to fight it or am I going to walk/run away?"
Lynch will defend her Raw Women's Title against Asuka at WWE Royal Rumble. Asuka defeated Lynch at the 2019 Royal Rumble.
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